Team Fortress 2 mods TF2 Classic and Open Fortress to return after eight-month hiatus

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Both mods were suspended at the request of Valve in September of last year

Team Fortress
(Image credit: Valve)

Two of Team Fortress 2's most popular mods are returning after being pulled almost one year ago. 

The teams behind TF2 Classic and Open Fortress have explained in new blog posts that the pair of mods will once again be available to download. The mods were initially pulled back in September after Valve contacted the creators, requesting that they be taken down.

Valve's issue with TF2 Classic and Open Fortress is that they are based on leaked source code from 2008. But at the same time as requesting that the mods be removed, the company recognised the effort that went into their creation, as well as their popularity with Team Fortress 2 players, and asked their creators if they were interested in releasing them on Steam. 

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Both the TF2 Classic and Open Fortress teams suspended downloads of the mods and expressed enthusiasm for Valve's offer. But since then, neither has received a response from the Team Fortress 2 developer.  

In a blog post, the developer of TF2 Classic explains that it contacted Valve on March 10, after not hearing from the company for six months. It made clear its plans to re-open downloads of the mod and asked Valve to re-affirm if it wanted to continue with the suspension. 

Having not heard back from the company, the team has decided to go ahead and make the mod available again. The Open Fortress team has done the same. In a statement on its website, the developer wrote, "We waited, thinking that they would eventually get back to us, but they never did. We have now taken it upon ourselves to bring the game back". 

Whether or not the mods stay up is anyone's guess, but their return could potentially prompt Valve to get the ball rolling and bring both TF2 Classic and Open Fortress to Steam. 

In other Team Fortress 2 news, Valve has publicly addressed the game's bot issues after a community-led peaceful protest on social media, but fans' feelings are mixed. 

If you like your shooters up close and personal, check out our guide to the best fps games you can play right now. 

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.